By Matṧeliso Phulane
Street vendors operating at Phomolong in Old Europa, Maseru are at their wits’ end after the Lesotho Housing and Land Development Corporation (LHLDC) evicted them to make way for a project.
A July 20 2023 letter signed by LHLDC managing director ‘Malesekele Matekane reads: “You are informed that the land at Phomolong, behind Vodacom Park belongs to Lesotho Housing, and the corporation is planning to develop it soon. Therefore, everyone is kindly asked to remove their properties from that place so the corporation can use it.”
The vendors sell a wide range of goods, predominantly take away food from mobile kitchens, as well as fruits, snacks and airtime.
In separate interviews with theReporter, the vendors slammed LHLDC for evicting them at short notice without giving them enough time to explore other options.
One of the vendors, who did not want to be named, lamented that she had been selling food at the spot for that past nine years, and it came as a shock when LHLDC just purged them on a whim.
She conceded that they had indeed been occupying the land illegally, but she is shattered at the prospects of losing the client base she had built.
She further claimed that before invading the land, they had approached the Maseru City Council (MCC) which gave them the greenlight to conduct their business there.
“A few days after receiving the letters, we were surprised to see some workers fencing off the premises, claiming they had been assigned by LHLDC. That’s when we resigned to the reality of being evicted.
“The workers also threatened to remove the mobile kitchens whose owners were not there on that day, and dispose of them at the Ha Tṧosane dumping site,” she expressed.
She also said they were saddened by the costs they had to incur such as hiring vehicles to haul their mobile kitchens.
Attempts to engage LHLDC for an amicable solution were unsuccessful as they were told the managing director was not available, the vendors claimed.
“We are breadwinners working hard to pay bills and our children’s school fees, so we are at a loss for words. Why is the new government bringing such changes which only inflict pain on vendors? What have we done to deserve this?
“We are even more disappointed that this letter was signed by the managing director who is said to be Prime Minister, Sam Matekane’s daughter-in-law. The previous administration was never this callous,” she concluded.
A vendor who sells fruits, snacks and airtime, Tṧele Moriti, said he had no choice but learn to live with LHLDC’s decision no matter how painful it is.
Moriti urged his colleagues to cut their losses and move on because this is a battle they will never win.
This publication approached LHLDC for a comment but was pushed from pillar to post. Eventually, a woman who only called herself the public relations officer of LHLDC but declined to provide her name, said it is not true what the street vendors were evicted without notification as they had been given some days to remove their belongings.
theReporter later identified the official as the LHLDC managing director, ‘Malesekele Matekane, who had authored the letter to the vendors. This after she unwittingly confirmed the vendors’ revelations that she was indeed related to the premier.
“My relationship with him (PM Matekane) doesn’t affect the way I execute my duties in any way. I’m a professional. I do as expected of me,” she said.
‘Malesekele stated categorically that the land belongs to LHLDC and the street vendors had occupied it illegally.
“LHLDC has owned that land for a long time. We even used to have rental apartments there, which were demolished to make way for another project. However, the new project did not take off as planned, but we want to use the land now.
“The vendors just invaded the unoccupied land and did not engage with anyone. So, right now we wrote official letters informing them that we want to make use of it, even though they want to make appear as if we are being harsh to them.
“They are not telling the truth when they say that we evicted immediately; we gave them days to move. They even came here asking for more days to remove their belongings and we complied. Instead of removing their properties as directed, they start spreading letters on media platforms claiming we evicted them at short notice,” she explained.
Asked about the upcoming project which the street vendors deny cognisance of, ‘Malesekele preferred not to divulge the details. She however, emphasised that LHLDC is the rightful owner of the land and is under no obligation to disclose that information to the vendors.
“We are the owners of the site and we want it back. Whether it is a major construction or a minor one, it is our site. We do not owe them (vendors) any explanation. Remember they are illegal occupants on our site.
“Had it been another landowner they would have forcibly removed the vendors without even writing them any letters, but we have been courteous enough to reach out to them.
“It is the responsibility of the municipality to give them land. Our mandate as a corporation is to deliver low-income houses, sites and services as well as to build rental accommodation. None of these three mandates involves the street vendors,” she said.
She added that some Basotho just want to have their way at all times and turn around and defame others when the law takes its course.
In an interview on Wednesday this week, MCC assistant public relations officer, Khotso Makamo, denied the street vendors’ claims that the municipality had given them permission to use the land belonging to LHLDC.
“They illegally occupied the land. None of them were offered permits by MCC allowing them to do so,” Makamo said, explaining that there was no way the council could allocate privately owned land to other people.
He noted that the vendors knew from the onset that the land belonged to the LHLDC and they would be required to move whenever the corporation wanted to use it.
Makamo also indicated that some street vendors approached the MCC some years ago seeking permission to access the land but this was not approved.
“The council told them plainly that they would not be given permits since the land is owned by LHLDC,” he added. He called on the vendors to vacate the land and approach MCC to check which places are available in the city for their kind business.
